Japanese for Daily Life in Japan｜Beginner Practical Course

UNIT 3
Numbers, Time, and Dates

Lesson 1: Numbers 1–100
すうじ — Japanese Numbers

⏱️ About 25 minutes ／ 📊 Level: Beginner (N5) ／ 🔢 Reading + Speaking

Before You Start

Numbers are everywhere in daily life in Japan — prices, times, ages, phone numbers. In this lesson, you’ll learn to count from 1 to 100 and use numbers in real situations from day one.

What you’ll learn:

Count from 1 to 10 — いち〜じゅう
Count 11 to 19 — じゅういち〜じゅうきゅう
Count tens 20–90 — にじゅう〜きゅうじゅう
Build any number 21–99 — tens + units
Say 100 — ひゃく
Use numbers for age, people count, and phone numbers

1. Numbers 1–10 ／すうじ 1〜10

Memorize these ten numbers first. Everything else is built from them.

Number	Japanese	Romaji
1	いち	ichi
2	に	ni
3	さん	san
4	よん	yon
5	ご	go
6	ろく	roku
7	なな	nana
8	はち	hachi
9	きゅう	kyuu
10	じゅう	juu

⚠️ Important: For beginners, always use these forms:
4 = よん (not し) · 7 = なな (not しち) · 9 = きゅう (not く)

2. Number Patterns ／パターン

Three simple patterns build every number from 11 to 99.

Pattern 1: 11–19 = じゅう + number

11 = じゅう + いち = じゅういち
15 = じゅう + ご = じゅうご
19 = じゅう + きゅう = じゅうきゅう

Pattern 2: Tens (20–90) = number + じゅう

20 = に + じゅう = にじゅう
50 = ご + じゅう = ごじゅう
70 = なな + じゅう = ななじゅう

Pattern 3: 21–99 = tens + units

35 = さんじゅう + ご = さんじゅうご
48 = よんじゅう + はち = よんじゅうはち
99 = きゅうじゅう + きゅう = きゅうじゅうきゅう

💡 100 is a special word: ひゃく

3. Numbers in Daily Life ／にちじょうのすうじ

〇〇歳です。

〇〇 sai desu.

I am 〇〇 years old. — Add 歳 after any number for age.

何歳ですか。

Nan sai desu ka.

How old are you? — Note: age is personal, ask carefully.

〇〇人です。

〇〇 nin desu.

〇〇 people. — Used at restaurants, for family size, etc.

電話番号は〇〇です。

Denwa bangoo wa 〇〇 desu.

My phone number is 〇〇. — Read each digit separately.

⚠️ Common Mistake
Don’t mix up 〇〇歳です (age) and 〇〇人です (number of people). Both use numbers but mean very different things. When someone asks 何人ですか at a restaurant, they mean “How many people?” — not “How old?”

4. Tens and 100 ／じゅう〜ひゃく

Number	Japanese	Romaji
20	にじゅう	ni juu
30	さんじゅう	san juu
40	よんじゅう	yon juu
50	ごじゅう	go juu
60	ろくじゅう	roku juu
70	ななじゅう	nana juu
80	はちじゅう	hachi juu
90	きゅうじゅう	kyuu juu
100	ひゃく	hyaku ★

5. Conversation Practice ／かいわ

💬 Conversation 1 — Age

A何歳ですか。How old are you?

B25歳です。I am 25 years old.

Aそうですか。I see.

Bはい。Yes.

💬 Conversation 2 — Number of People

Staff何人ですか。How many people?

You2人です。Two people.

Staff2人ですね。Two people, right?

💬 Conversation 3 — Phone Number

Staff電話番号を教えてください。Please tell me your phone number.

You090-1234-5678です。It is 090-1234-5678.

Staffありがとうございます。Thank you.

💬 Conversation 4 — Classroom Practice

Teacher10は日本語で何ですか。What is 10 in Japanese?

Studentじゅうです。It is juu.

Teacher20は？What about 20?

Studentにじゅうです。It is ni juu.

6. Vocabulary ／たんご

Japanese	Romaji	English
数字	suuji	number
電話番号	denwa bangoo	phone number
歳	sai	years old
何歳	nan sai	how old
人	nin / hito	person / people
何人	nan nin	how many people
ひゃく	hyaku	100
番号	bangoo	number (ID/phone)
いくら	ikura	how much
何	nan / nani	what

7. Check Your Understanding ／クイズ

Think about each question first. The answer and explanation are shown below each one.

Q1. How do you say “1” in Japanese?

A. いち B. に C. さん

Answer: A
1 = いち. The basics: いち(1) に(2) さん(3) よん(4) ご(5) ろく(6) なな(7) はち(8) きゅう(9) じゅう(10). Say them aloud every day until automatic.

Q2. How do you say “20” in Japanese?

A. じゅうに B. にじゅう C. にひゃく

Answer: B
20 = に + じゅう = にじゅう. Tens pattern: number + じゅう. じゅうに = 12 (reversed). にひゃく = 200.

Q3. How do you say “35” in Japanese?

A. さんじゅうご B. ごじゅうさん C. さんご

Answer: A
35 = さんじゅう(30) + ご(5) = さんじゅうご. Always: tens first, then units. ごじゅうさん = 53 (reversed).

8. Match the Numbers ／れんしゅう

Match each number with the correct Japanese reading. Check your answers below.

1 → _______ 3 → _______ 5 → _______ 7 → _______

10 → _______ 20 → _______ 50 → _______ 100 → _______

Choices: A. さん B. ひゃく C. いち D. なな E. ごじゅう F. ご G. じゅう H. にじゅう

Answers: 1=C ／ 3=A ／ 5=F ／ 7=D ／ 10=G ／ 20=H ／ 50=E ／ 100=B

9. Choose the Best Response ／れんしゅう

Choose the best response for each situation.

Q1. Someone asks, 「何歳ですか。」

A. 25歳です。 B. 25人です。 C. 25円です。

Answer: A
When asked your age, reply with 〇〇歳です. 人 = people, 円 = yen — these are different counters.

Q2. A restaurant staff asks, 「何人ですか。」

A. 2人です。 B. 2歳です。 C. 2時です。

Answer: A
At a restaurant, 「何人ですか」 = “How many people?” Reply: 〇〇人です. 歳=age, 時=time.

Q3. Your teacher asks, 「30は日本語で何ですか。」

A. さんじゅうです。 B. じゅうさんです。 C. さんです。

Answer: A
30 = さん(3) + じゅう(10) = さんじゅう. じゅうさん = 13 (reversed). さん alone = 3.

🚀 Mini Mission

Today’s mission: Say five numbers in Japanese, then say your age.

Choose any 5 numbers from 1 to 100 and say them aloud. Then say:

＿＿＿＿＿＿歳です。（your age）

Practice with your teacher, a classmate, or yourself in front of a mirror.

📘 Review ／まとめ

In this lesson, you learned Japanese numbers from 1 to 100. The key patterns:

1–10：いちにさんよんごろくななはちきゅうじゅう
11–19：じゅう + number
20–90：number + じゅう
21–99：tens + units
100 = ひゃく

💡 Remember: always use よん(4), なな(7), きゅう(9) — they are clearer and safer in daily life. Once you know 1–10 and the tens, you can say any number from 1 to 100.

FAQ

Q. Why do 4, 7, and 9 have two readings?

Japanese has two number systems — one native Japanese and one Chinese-origin. That’s why 4 can be よん or し, 7 can be なな or しち, and 9 can be きゅう or く. For beginners, always use よん・なな・きゅう — they are clearer and less likely to be confused.

Q. How do I remember the number patterns?

Three simple rules: (1) 11–19 = じゅう + number. (2) Tens = number + じゅう. (3) 21–99 = tens + units. Once you know 1–10 and the tens, every other number follows automatically. Practice the tens (20, 30, 40…) until they feel instant — they are the foundation.

Q. What is 100 in Japanese?

100 = ひゃく. This is a unique word — not じゅうじゅう or にじゅうにじゅう. Just memorize ひゃく on its own. You will use it constantly for prices: 100円 = ひゃくえん.

🌸 Practice with a real teacher

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Lesson 1: Numbers 1–100 すうじ — Japanese Numbers

Before You Start

1. Numbers 1–10 ／ すうじ 1〜10

2. Number Patterns ／ パターン

3. Numbers in Daily Life ／ にちじょうのすうじ

4. Tens and 100 ／ じゅう〜ひゃく

5. Conversation Practice ／ かいわ